Let Me Love You
by seaweedbrainrulerofpancakes
Summary: A oneshot based off of the song by Mario. Jet has spent too long mistreating Katara and Zuko can only watch in disdain as it continues. Zuko just wants Katara to see that Jet is not a man that will change anytime soon and that Zuko can offer her so much more.


**Just a oneshot based on the song** ** _Let Me Love You_** **by Mario. Please feel free to give me feedback; criticism is always appreciated. Also inform me of what you would like to see more of. Take a look at my profile to see some series that I enjoy. I am not saying that I will definitely write about every single suggestion given, but if I feel like I am up for the challenge I will certainly try.**

 **Also if you are a fan of Red X and Starfire as a couple from Teen Titans, please vote in the poll on my profile.**

 **I do not own Avatar or any of Mario's songs.**

 _Baby I just don't get it, do you enjoy being hurt?_

She had been dating Jet for a long time now, and all he had ever brought her was pain. Sure, he may have been a perfect gentlemen at first. He would pull out chairs and open doors for her when they went out to restaurants. He would surprise Katara at work and sneak her off to the movies. Most importantly, he was loyal to her. The minute he got her to agree to a relationship, however, he became a completely different person. He stopped pulling out chairs and opening doors. He never bothered to show up when she waited for him at home, let alone work. He instead spent that time talking it up with other women and all together making Katara Miserable. It was something Zuko couldn't understand: why did Katara stay with Jet?

 _I know you smelled the perfume, the makeup on his shirt_

Katara prided herself on not being an idiot. She knew that it did not make sense for Jet to suddenly start coming home late when he would previously come home at 6 p.m. sharp every night. She was not unaware to what it meant for him to go to bars and come home with lipstick stains trailing down his neck.

 _You don't believe his stories, you know that they're all lies_

She was not oblivious to his coming home in the middle of the night missing garments of clothing that under normal circumstances would never have come off. She did not believe that his secretary at work was just a person that would run and get Jet his coffee in the morning. Katara knew better.

 _Bad as you are, you stick around and I just don't know why_

Katara may pride herself on not being an idiot, but Zuko thought she was one of the biggest of them all. Zuko saw things clearly. He saw Katara's life in shambles and he noticed her not doing anything about it. He saw her stick with a man that would never learn to appreciate her. He saw the truth. What Zuko did not see? Katara had thought of leaving Jet many times before, but she always stopped herself. It is not easy to leave someone when one still hopes that they can revert back to the person they used to be. It is not easy to give up. It certainly is not easy to validate leaving someone that another has given so much time to. Jet never physically harmed Katara, so she wanted to keep trying to bring him back. She just wanted to heal what she saw to be a broken man. This is not something Zuko understood.

 _If I was ya man_

 _(Baby you'd)_

The only person Zuko thought to be a bigger idiot than Katara was Jet. Zuko could not understand How Jet cannot see the beautiful women in front of him and not be satisfied with only her. Zuko could only imagine having a relationship with Katara. It is something he would think of with wishful eyes and a yearning heart.

 _Never worry 'bout_

 _(What I do)_

Zuko knew that if given the chance, he would remain faithful to Katara forever and always. He would never leave her to cry herself to sleep in the middle of the night and never allow her to wake up wishing to go back to the darkness she emerged from. One of the scariest problems of all is when nightmares bring more comfort than reality.

 _I'd be coming home (Back to you)_

 _Every night, doin' you right_

Zuko would tell her just how much he loved her and would always come back home to this deserving women. In Zuko's opinion, Katara deserved the world and more. He would never even dream of allowing her to spend her time wondering where everything went wrong and what she has done to deserve such a punishment as the prison Jet has supplied her with.

 _You're the type of woman (Deserves good things)_

Katara, like a bird, can only thrive from being free. How could she ever be happy in Jet's prison of world that he reserves for her? Zuko only wanted to treat her like the royalty she ought to have been considered as.

 _Fistful of diamonds_

 _(Hand full of rings) Baby, you're a star_

He wanted to give her all the precious jewels in the world. He believed that all material things he gave her would never measure up to her inner beauty and they would never match the sparkle of her blue eyes, but he still wanted to give her these things.

 _I just want to show you you are You should let me love you_

He wanted to give her everything this beautiful world had to offer because it was one of the only ways he would be able to express his love for her.

 _Let me be the one to give you everything you want and need_

He wanted to be the one to supply all of her needs and fulfill all of her desires. The world could only see that Jet was not doing so.

 _Baby, good love and protection_

More importantly than all of the jewels ans material things he desired to give her, he yearned to guard her heart. He aimed to take care of her emotionally and never allow another bad thing to happen to her. Zuko imagined closing off all evil from her and enclosing her in a bubble of safety that came from keeping her in his arms.

 _Make me your selection_

 _Show you the way love's supposed to be_

Zuko spent everyday telling Katara she deserved better. He would tell her she had the right to walk away from the ruins of her relationship with Jet and find someone that would make her happy. The words he wanted to tell her the most, however, never came out. The one thing he felt a burning sensation the most for was the hunger to tell her that he wanted her to choose him. Zuko thirsted to tell her just how much better he could treat her,

 _Baby you should let me love you,_

 _love you, love you, love you, yeah_

The phrase he'd imagine telling her over and over was to let him love her. Zuko would build a fantasy land in which she was his and he would be able to whisk her away from all her problems.

 _Listen Your true beauty's description_

 _looks so good that it hurts_

 _You're a dime plus ninety-nine_

Katara was a beautiful women inside and out, yet she was stuck with a man who would not acknowledge this beauty enough to treat her right. She did not receive suitable treatment for the phenomenal human being that she was.

 _and it's a shame_

 _Don't even know what you're worth_

She tried to leave once, when she thought all hope to be lost, but Jet somehow convinced her that all their problems were her fault. He somehow convinced her to stay. The only solution Katara could see after that point was to fix the broken shell of a man and not lose hope that their relationship could be mended. Before Katara met Jet, she believed herself to be a strong women. The more time that passed, however, she began to question her significance. She would wonder why she was not enough for Jet. She could not see what she did to drive him away into the arms of other women.

 _Everywhere you go they stop and stare_

 _'Cause you're bad and it shows_

 _From your head to your toes,_

 _out of control,_

Katara did not realize the amount of stares she received on their outings. She did not acknowledge the head turns in her direction because her sole goal on these excursions was to keep Jet's attention on her and not on the waitress a table down.

 _baby you know_

 _If I was your man_

It was a rainy night when it happened. Katara always found comfort in the rain. She felt that it somehow brought her strength. She heard Jet just arriving home at 3 a.m. staggering around the kitchen. When she went to make sure he did not harm himself in a drunk stupor, she found that for the first time, he actually had the nerve to bring home the girl he was fooling around with that night. Katara ran out to her car blinded with hate and drove to the all familiar apartment that belonged to Zuko. Upon hearing the knock on his door, Zuko immediately knew what who it was as Katara had come to him at this time a great many times before with tears streaming down her face. This time, however, their were no tears. Katara had spent them all up in the months before.

 _(Baby you'd)_

 _Never worry 'bout_

 _(What I do)_

With a stoic expression she explained that for the first time, Jet had dragged his filth home. Zuko felt a rush of anger and headed to the door with the goal of beating the rat senseless. He stopped, however, when Katara looked at him, lip trembling, and cracked out, "stay. _Please."_

 _I'd be coming home_

 _(Back to you) Every night,_

He held her in his arms that night, and every night after when she finally realized she could never help Jet. Jet was simply too far gone in a downward spiral and she could only hope that he would one day realize his mistakes and come to regret all the hurt he has caused.

 _doin' you right_

 _You're the type of woman_

 _(Deserves good things)_

Katara never wished more ill on Jet than that. In a sense, a part of her would always care for the man that would pull out chairs for her and surprise her at work, but it was no longer a romantic love. At the moment, she was holding walls around her heart refusing to let them open to anyone in a romantic sense.

 _Fistful of diamonds_

 _(Hand full of rings)_

Katara was beginning to discover things about herself that had long been locked away.

 _Baby, you're a star_

She began to remember her love of singing when she was happy and started taking the reigns back on decisions relating to her work life. She set her hours back to her own desire instead of what Jet expected of her. She went out when she wanted and fed the ducks at her favorite pond with Zuko. Ah yes, Zuko. The only person happier than her with all of this progress was Zuko.

 _I just want to show you, who you are_

 _You should let me love you_

Zuko could not contain his joy when he began to see the sparkle return in Katara's eyes and heard her laugh get just a little louder each day.

 _Let me be the one to_

 _give you everything you want and need_

This is when Katara began to realize how her best friend had always been there for her. She began to open up to the idea of him being more than just a friend and felt herself letting the walls down. With all that he had done for her and how much he had tried to protect her, it only made sense when she started looking at him very differently.

 _Ooh baby, good love and protection_

 _Woah, make me your selection_

The warmth in her eyes now extended past friendship. Zuko was who she realized she wished to be with.

 _show you the way love's supposed to be_

She wanted Zuko because she saw that he treated her in a manner that was completely foreign to her relationship with Jet. Zuko gave her love in its purest form. Whether or not Jet every truly loved her, that relationship was toxic to her well being. Katara began to long to be in Zuko's caring embrace.

 _Baby, you should let me_

 _(You deserve better, girl)_

With her feelings worked out, Katara set to dropping hints that she wanted more than just friendship with the man she came to trust more than any other.

 _You know you deserve better_

 _(We should be together girl)_

Zuko was not very adept at catching these hints to say the least. He always maintained a respectable bond with her, even though he also wanted so much more. He did not think she would ever be ready to start off a relationship again, and especially not with him.

 _Baby, with me and you it's whatever girl,_

 _hey so can we make this thing ours?_

 _You should let me love you_

After a long and incredibly drawn out month of dropping her hints, one can say that Katara grew incredibly impatient with the oblivious man she usually considered as smart.

 _(Let me be the one to give you everything you want and need)_

 _Let me be the one to give Everything you need_

 _(Good love and protection)_

 _Said every thing_

It occurred on another rainy day. She felt particularly confident in herself and could not care less of the consequences.

 _(Make me your selection)_

 _Will you take me baby?_

She stormed passed all the desk lined outside of Zuko's place of work. Zuko was a prominent businessman and had a sea of employees that were spluttering and coughing over their words as they informed the all too familiar "Miss Katara" that one cannot simply barge into their bosses office. She ignored them and threw open the doors to Zuko's office and found him trying to balance a paperclip on his nose.

 _Show you the way love's supposed to be_

 _Baby you should let me love you_

She looked very interesting indeed with her hair damp from the rain and mud dripping off her shoes and coat. Zuko thought she looked like a princess. A very angry princess.

 _(Let me be the one to give you everything you want and need)_

 _I'll give you everything_

"WHAT IN THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU" Katara spitted out, eyes squinted at the target.

The paperclip fell from his nose.

Zuko very confused at what he had done got up very slowly and cautiously made his way to the women who practically had steam coming out of her ears. He then said something very intelligent, "whaaa?..."

 _that good love and protection_

 _Make me your selection_

Katara then informed him of all the hints she has been dropping and what a damn idiot he has to be to have not noticed. She then proceeded to storm over and and slam her lips on his. It felt like sparks were flying as the two were only engrossed in each other as the rest of the world melted away.

 _show you the way love's supposed to be_

 _(You should let me love you)_

 _Love you_

When they pulled apart Katara asked him to meet her on Friday for dinner at 8 p.m. sharp and told him he better not be late. He agreed still looking dazed and finally snapped out of it when she asked him how he couldn't have noticed all the signs she had attempted to give him. He could only shrug and mention that he had technically been dropping hints for years and that she had never noticed. Katara's face turned pink and she sheepishly looked down.

"Perhaps both parties could have done a little better with the hints" she mumbled.

 _(Let me be the one to give you everything you want and need)_

 _The one to Everything you need, baby_

Katara left his office still trailing mud everywhere while Zuko leaned against his desk with a goofy smile upon his face.

 _(Good love and protection)_

 _Protection_

 _Make me your selection_

He would finally have his chance to show his dream girl what a partner ought to really act like. He was ready and could not wait to give her the world. Zuko happily watched as she got into the elevator, and laughed as she turned around and mouthed the words 8 p.m.

 _Show you the way love's supposed to be_

 _Let me love you_

Neither one of them noticed the money circulating around the employees' desks as some took took their share grinning while others gave theirs away frowning as a result of the bet of who would ask the other out first.

One of these employees took her share gleaming with pride as she thought 'I knew you could do it Miss Katara.'


End file.
